Ties of Darkness
by skulledRenaissance
Summary: It was over. Grima had successfully taken over the world with the Avatar as it's vessel. And to make matters worse, she couldn't remember a THING about her old life with Chrom. Now, to finish the job her father had cast, she set off to destroy the last of the resistance with the Harbingers. But will they even let her? (OC-heavy story. A 'What-If' scenario.)
1. Prologue

**Prologue: Ties of Darkness**

Chapter Word Count: 2,124 Words

Rating: T

Description: We meet our Avatar, who seems to be in quite a predicament with a few strangers.

**Did I mention the world is crumbling?**

* * *

It_ was over._

They stood on the crown of the castle, gazing fondly upon the horror the two had caused with their own hands. their own powers. As if it were a breathing child that they had created. Not of the one who had been a pitiful excuse of a father. Not of fate, for fate was fickle. It was always theirs to control. This destiny of a flaming land.

The world was crumbling, and it was beautiful.

And she, the one behind this ruin, looked to her companion... a soul detached to serve a greater purpose. The god that was known as Grima. He asked, with the greatest taste of curiosity and poison on his tongue: "If you had one wish, what would it be?"

"_To know the embrace of love." Her response was short and clipped._

"_What a silly dream…" The asker frowned. "You know?"_

And the fell dragon's vessel laughed along with his turned down lips.

"_I know."_

"_Then why dream it? When you could have so much more."_

"_Because this heart of mine is fickle, and it is pure with the taint of acquaintance. It wants to know the bonds of friendship, yearns for another on their level. Not this deluded vision of a deity sitting on her throne."_

"_That sounds ridiculous."_

"_It is, it is…"_

**oxoxoxo**

_**Kill them.  
Crush their poor numbers.  
Destroy all that they ever were.  
You are Immortal.  
You are God.**_

**oxoxoxo**

It has been a mere three days since the defeat of the Shepherds, yet she roamed the halls with an air that did not suit her.

Past tall marble columns that touched the sky with their flat heads, and through winding hallways plastered with banners of the Grimleal, a cloaked figure walked upon the tiled floors, looking for the one person that would sate her curiosity to the brim. From the outsider's perspective, She didn't seem much to look at, besides her ornate garment that fell upon her shoulders in a shroud. Perhaps she was a skilled tactician of the army. Good for her.

However, if you knew her these past few days, you would know that she was supposed to be mourning. If she were a normal person at all. How unusual for her to be up and about. Just days before, her friends were slaughtered before her eyes. On that poor excuse of a battlefield, innocents were killed and not a single warrior had fell before her. The woman was crushed and left nearly in tears at the feet of her enemy, left alone due to the forcefield that had surrounded them... All her loved ones were gone, the rest retreated. Which left one to ponder, Just how important was this question on her mind?

_The trouble with the Shepherds_, this strange woman thought to herself, _is that they were over-confidant.  
_  
It must of been very, VERY important. But then again, she was not a normal person. Yes, this was the Fell Dragon's vessel who was captured and shaped to Validar's liking. Many called her the Dark One. But her name (A powerful thing) was Nabbu.

"_Why are you searching so hard for the old man? He can't be hiding anywhere, this is his home!" _A particular voice growled out inside of her conscience. Grima himself had came into her when she had been defeated in battle, and the world was all the more worse for it. The sky had grew dark on the day their conscience had been joined together, Nabbu and Grima. Clouds covered up the blue like ants to a sugar cube. The hearts of the people filled with fear to hear the Grimleal's victorious cry from afar. What a day that was to witness, the terror and gloom.

Nabbu, however, learned shortly that she had nothing to fear from the dragon. As long as she was accepting of his input, he would give her control of her shared body. And that suited her just fine. "Calm down, I'm sure he's just around this corner. Have patience." She responded with one of the more evil grins she had. Oh, but how she loved teasing the god. It gave her a sense of power she didn't know existed. That is, until you've merged with a deity.

Grima was not known for patience. However, they entered the Throne room without too big of a hassle. The only response she got was a lowly placed growl.

Behind an extravagant door, a small corridor, led to a large curtain, which, in turn, led to a heavily decorated room. Nabbu reached out a hand and pushed the drapes without a care in the world, strolling onto crimson fabrics underfoot. She paid little attention to the dim lights and the red, hanging curtains that acted as a proscenium to a stage. No, her attention was focused on the only other lifeform in the room. Who was standing right in front of the throne, Sorcerer's robes wrapped tightly around the form that led to thin, spider-like fingers. The collar, flipped back, trailed upward to a dark shade of gray and two orbs housing the purest of maroon colors.

His name, you ask? Validair, of course. And he just moved his gaze from the highly-placed windows, to her own figure with the smallest of smirks. Barely noticeable.

She kept walking until they were face to face, less than ten feet away from each other in a comedic portrayal of a showdown. But none of the three had any intention of fighting today. Well, maybe Grima, but perhaps he was just hungry for the taste of human flesh on his tongue once more. In any case, the only movement either one of them made after that was for Nabbu to lift her hands and take the hood of the cloak off of her head.

"Hello, Father." She greeted with a soft voice, as to not disturb the peace. Underneath the cloak, Nabbu was revealed to have the hair of her mother, a platinum blond color. It matched her pale skin that had only recently seen the harsh rays of the sun. And her eyes… they were the exact replica of the man staring her down. Red to the point where it made one think of blood. It made Validair smile. She was the spitting image of her mother, which had made her so hard to find with her place among the Shepherds. But the one feature that gave her away was the main focus of her facial proportions. It was amazing how Chrom didn't realize it sooner.

"Ah, Nabbu. My dear daughter. Come to kill me, have you?"

A look of utter confusion swept across her face, causing the tall man to widen his coy smile. The spell he had cast must have been a success- she didn't remember a blasted thing about her old mission. Perhaps, bits and pieces would come to her later… but for the most part, it looked like her memory was wiped clean. It was one of his own numbers, modeled after the Amnesia his… son had inherited. (He thought the word with sudden distaste.)

Son.

Why do sons so often betray their fathers?

"...What do you mean, 'Kill you?' You're my own blood." Validair was snapped out of his unpleasant thoughts when Nabbu spoke up again. She blinked once, twice even, to add to her helpless look. But even with her given innocence, he still felt the power of Grima stirring underneath her skin, a deadly viper poised to strike.

"I mean nothing by it, my daughter."

"You are a strange one. _Not important."_ The problem with having two souls connected so closely together, is that they would both talk at the same time, causing Nabbu's sentences to become strange and otherworldly. It was hardly a effect fit for the vessel, though. "I didn't come here to kill you, only to ask a question. But I suppose Knowledge could be the equivalent of killing." Her arms raised up in a half-hearted attempt at a shrug.

The room stood silent Validair waiting for the question and Nabbu waiting for an affirmative to go on. You could almost cut the tension with a fine, sharpened sword.

After a few more moments of this, she spoke.

"How… would you like me to kill Chrom for you?"

"To do WHAT?"

The surprise in his voice made Nabbu laugh in glee. "Well, it's kind of obvious that you _didn't finish the job earlier!_" This was a mixture of Grima and Nabbu talking- One's undying loyalties and the other's spitting sarcasm. "I know he's a hard foe, so I thought it would be a great present for _Daddy Dearest_ if I was able to bring him back for you….." She paused at this point before continuing her half-insults: "It's funny. My mind has been in a sort of haze these days. I barely remember much of those Shepherds, except that they were very naive."

Well, at least that was a good sign from his flesh and blood, if anything were to be said about his family. He didn't exactly care for Nabbu as a daughter, more as a… a bipolar boss.

"Don't worry about the haze, my dear. I'm sure you'll get over it. But as for killing Chrom?" Slowly, his hand went up to his face, pretending to contemplate his next words with utter precision. "To kill Chrom would give you the world. But, have you forgotten that Chrom has a legion, while you have…..?"

"Have….. _what." _Nabbu's voice faded, to be replaced with an angry Grima's growl. How quickly she had changed from a carefree individual to a terrifying entity? "_Are you saying that my powers LACK? That I'm WEAK? Face me now, OLD MAN, If you wish to-"_

"I'm saying you need help, Nabbu. You can't do everything alone. That's simply ridiculous. I had an ARMY when I defeated Chrom's pathetic allies, and you should have the same." ...His previous statement was a bit of a falsehood. It was more along the lines of a god he held dear then a child, and he was obliged to care for her body and it's well being

. "...Oh." Thank… well, thank her that her anger had gone back to normal. If her emotions had gone out of hand, then that could of easily triggered her Dragonoid form, or worse- her memory. why it had been important to Validair that Nabbu didn't become a wreck, so to speak: She had to keep Grima tamed until he could be controlled. "...An army.. I'm sure it shouldn't be too hard to find a few people to fight alongside me"

"You can't use my own."

"...Why Not!?" There was one plan out of the rhetorical window.

"Because that would be too quick, too easy. You need to strike when the time is right, my dear child." Validar let his hand fall on Nabbu's shoulder as he gazed down at her with one of those practiced, fond gazes that she seemed to like. "You need to gather your own followers, loyal only to you in the times of need. You are currently separated from Grima's true form, and if you are to take down Chrom before you are completely joined…"

"I would die?"

"Correct."

If there was anything Grima DIDN'T want to do, it was to have his vessel die on him before the time of joining, so this was sound advice. With a bowed head and a slight frown on her lips, Nabbu responded. "... Alright. But I WILL kill Chrom for you, father. That's a promise." She didn't know why, but Nabbu wanted so badly to please her father, that she would have the one who wronged him crucified for the humiliation that he had caused.

The Stress…

The Guilt….

Just why did the head of the shepherds live? Why didn't she walk out now to claim his head?

"Good, my child." Validar, once again, smirked in quite an evil way. It was something all stereotypical villains decided to do these days, but the warlock was far from your stereotypical villain. You are dismissed."

The red eyed woman slowly turned on the ball of her foot and started to walk out of the room. However, she came to a halt just before the curtain, and turned her head over her shoulder. Validar raised an eyebrow at her, noting how her lips turned upward in a cunning way and her hands twitched with the need to grab something.

"_...Ah, but who said I needed you to dismiss me?" _Grima purred in a nonchalant fashion before turning to walk the rest of the way out, leaving a slightly stunned Sorcerer in her wake.

It was time for her to rise up.

* * *

SkulledRenaissaince: Hi-ya, welcome to Ties of Darkness, the story where Grima rules the world and the Avatar just doesn't care! Meet my Co-writer, ShimoRyu!

ShimoRyu: Hello dear readers! Umm… Skulled uses the term "Co-writer" rather loosely I think… I just kind of jump in with ideas and helped to create the characters that will appear later as well as do any and all of the artwork for this.

SkulledRenaissaince: You underestimate yourself too much. Co-writer, not a Jump in! jump In sounds so lame. Besides, i'm sure you were just intimidated by writing Grima/Nabbu. But Anyway, we hope you enjoy this story. We worked hard on our little buddies, and this was kind of a last minute thing. If you have any ideas at all, please, feel free to tell us. Flames will be used to stoke the fires of hell in which I'm probably going.

ShimoRyu: You're going wherever I'm going because I will drag you with me if I have to! But yes, Ideas are appreciated and flames will be ignored!

SkulledRenaissaince: I hope you like Sulfur then….

ShimoRyu: I'll make the best of it… We can roast marshmallows!

SkulledRenaissaince: And Hotdogs. But don't let your brother get near em.

ShimoRyu: True, true.


	2. Chapter one: Beginning anew

**Chapter One: Ties of Darkness**

Chapter Word Count: 2,540 Words

Rating: T

Description: Back over to a certain town in a certain place, we all meet two friendly-looking newcomers. Who are they?

* * *

Previously on whatever this thing is….

"Good, my child." Validar, once again, smirked in quite an evil way. It was something all stereotypical villains decided to do these days, but the warlock was far from your stereotypical villain. You are dismissed."

The red eyed woman slowly turned on the ball of her foot and started to walk out of the room. However, she came to a halt just before the curtain, and turned her head over her shoulder. Validar raised an eyebrow at her, noting how her lips turned upward in a cunning way and her hands twitched with the need to grab something.

"...Ah, but who said I needed you to dismiss me?" Grima purred in a nonchalant fashion before turning to walk the rest of the way out, leaving a slightly stunned Sorcerer in her wake.

It was time for her to rise up.

* * *

It all started in a peaceful city. Oh yes, this tale weaved of delicate, interwoven fates does indeed begin here, strange as it may seem. And the scenery went a bit like so…

The city was a bustling center of trade. Towers stretched longingly to bury their gnarled stone fingers into the air. Shacks were constantly cropping up in ones and threes and fours with sturdy materials of brick and steel And all of it, one would say, was good. All of it was the epitome of a thriving area.. Despite what everyone assumed about the city's old leader, the castle stood tall and strong against the backdrop of the gray sky, and the people went about their daily lives. It was the only thing they could do, after all. As peaceful as the time of Emmeryn was how Ylisstol would always stand, so it seemed, for eternities to come.

Children played, and men toiled in the heavy air. Maidens danced in the streets to unheard tunes. Soldiers marched on with the ferocity of a lion. Chrom had to be avenged, after all was said and done. Even if Grima WAS resurrected, he had not touched the city with his horrid breath, or his influence. This was a blessing, and as blessings go, it was a time for celebrating the towering walls of defense that they had built up.

Things were looking good so far. Nothing of the doom and gloom Lucina mentioned, as of yet.

And in the middle of this peaceful, porcelain mask that the market wore, there was a broken shell who tried, however eagerly, to pick up the pieces to his self. A somber looking mage sat near a fountain in the center of the city's main square, clothes hanging heavily onto his average, but lithe form as he sat with his head bowed. Next to him sat a tactician who was pouring through a thick book of plans. One that the mage would occasionally look over at with the most curious of glances, pass comment on her notations, then go back to observing the people who passed by.

Both felt as if they were failures. Failures who could not save their friend. Failures who would do everything in their power to remedy their mistakes. But mistakes cannot escape the hands of time, and as it marches forward, so too does it drag behind all of the past faults.

All of the world's failures. Oh, how out of place were they in this city. Soon though, both of them began to let their minds wander. Wander down through the flow of the river of time towards what happened in time past.

**OXOXOXO**

"_This is it! Our final battle!" Spoken with bated breath and with a twinge of confidence for the war to end, Chrom had told them these words just before the devastation that came. "Ronin! Sumire!" He called out the names of his dear friends. "You're both shepherds and trusted allies! And No 'destiny' will ever change that, don't think for even a second that it will alter the course of any history past this point!"_

_He turned towards the man who had started all of this hate, all of this mess, with the eyes of one who has seen too much death. But was willing to make just one more exception. "Now… Let's kill this dastard and be done with it!"_

_The mage, tactician, and lord stood within a dimly lit room. On the floor was a stunning multicolored mosaic set in a circle pattern. It would been beautiful, but this was the room where they meet their deaths, and Ronin may betray Chrom. On another note, they were also cut off from the rest of the army by a barrier of dark energy, only bringing the sense of impending doom closer and closer to the front of their minds. Especially when they looked over at that sorcerer and his evil smirk._

_While they may be far away, the words he spoke couldn't be more clearer. "Hahahahaha… Fools! Struggle all you want." The gray-skinned man took a breath in, as if relishing the air of their demise. "You cannot rewrite… what is already WRITTEN!" A loud crackling noise filled the air with the makings of a spell from Validar's wrist. There, floating above his palm for a short moment, was a writhing ball of energy that lit up the place like a strong flame. There was no time to admire such a feat, though, when he threw the ball right at Chrom._

"_Watch out!" Sumire shouted as she ran in front of him. She quickly drew her sword and made an attempt to block the blast of dark magic. While the split-second plan actually worked, it may not have been the wisest choice, since it did hit her a little and sent the tactician flying back a little ways to where Ronin was standing._

"_You alright, Sister!?" The mage shouted with a hint of worry in his voice. _

"_I'm fine." Sumire replied as she made a struggling attempt to get back on her feet. "Go help Chrom!"_

_Chrom? But where was Chrom?_

_Our blue-haired Protagonist had rushed the gun too early, it seemed. Sparks flew in the air and whirling blades were dodged by the simplest of means. It came to the point where Chrom, rushing forward, was knocked to the side with a well-placed blow to the head, the work done by none other than the tome that Validar's magic came from, Grima's Truth. But the poor Lord was far from giving up. When he was knocked down, he just struggled to his feet and ran at the Grimleal ruler once more, sending another blade his way with it's deadly, razor sharp edge that evaded it's target time and time again._

"_This is foolish. He's going to get himself killed!" An unknown voice called from the other side of Validar, oddly enough coming from neither Sumire or Ronin._

_The two magic users just glanced at each other, then towards Validar, and at each other once more. "The crazy fanatic isn't alone?" Sumire questioned. Ronin shook his head. He had no idea what was going on. He had been an only child when he was younger until Sumire had been adopted into the family. As he was growing up, he had also met each and every one of Validar's allies, and this voice was one he did not recognize. _

"_What in Naga's name is going on!?" Was all the poor, confused mage could even think to say._

"_I am no foe." It was that voice again, and this time, even Validar had to strike his head up in surprise. All anyone saw in their vision was a deep, black robe that wrapped around a feminine figure. in the pits of that blackness, two crimson orbs stared back at the others, pupils to a serpentined style. No one seemed to recognize her, except…._

"_...Can it be?" He, Validar, asked with the deadliest of curiosities, a wide placed grin coming to form on his lips._

_But oh, what a foolish mistake. Chrom had the perfect opportunity to take his polished, gleaming Falchion, and strike it deep within the Sorcerer's chest. A choked noise was all the sound that came from the finished body. What erupted from that gaping wound was not the crimson rush of blood, but purple flames that licked all across his skin. They seeked to consume, to burn, to kill, and as he fell to his knees, Chrom and the others knew it was over._

_Chrom ran to the Mage and the Tactician, worry forming on his face at the sight of Sumire's wounds. "Are you alright?" He asked with a gentle voice. _

"_I think I'll be okay." She replied. Though her forced smile showed the wounds hurt more than she was willing to let on._

_The lord smiled in what was akin to relief, unaware of her hurting or possible suffering of this traumatic event. He did not hear the quiet footsteps that belonged to the mystery woman, either. Only victory was on the mind today. "That's the last of him." He breathed out in relief. "We can rest easy now. Thanks to you two, we carried the day…"_

_Or so they thought…_

"_This isn't over!" A shout came from where Validar was burning. "DAMN YOU BOTH!" In his last moment he fired a last ditch attack of dark magic towards Chrom. They all thought it was over, for they had been caught off guard, but the attack didn't hit. A cloaked figure had blocked the blast. Though, in the process of doing so, the hood of the cloak had fallen off to reveal a woman with light blonde hair and striking red eyes._

_No one knew what to say when she didn't move, and they still didn't know what to utter when she did. Because that face was all too familiar, struggling to her feet as if she hadn't been attacked by a blast of bubbling energy. _

_As if she didn't hold a gleaming sword in her right hand, that fended off the blow._

_As if she didn't rush forward, with a deranged cackle mixed with Grima's own vocal tones, and stab Chrom right through his heart._

**OXOXOXOXO**

The violet haired tactician sighed. All their work. All their sleepless nights full of planning. And what did it gain them? Absolutely nothing. Or that's what Sumire thought in this case at least. Of the two of them, Ronin had become the more optimistic of the two, and at this point, seeing the distressed look on her face, he gently wrapped his adopted sister in a reassuring hug. "We'll make this all better Sumire. I know we will."

"How Ronin!? Just… How!? We don't know where the others are! We got separated from them after that battle! And as for Chrom… It's not like we can bring the dead back to life! You saw that woman run that sword through his heart! I… I just…"

"Shhh… It's okay Sumire, It's okay. It's over now. We both need to stop dwelling on that moment and focus on what's to come." The blonde mage replied to Sumire's panic. "And don't even try to say that I don't care. Inside I'm as bad as you. But constantly thinking about won't help us. or anyone else for that matter."

"I know… but why did she have to do it? I didn't even see her face right…" Sumire just told an outright lie, unknowingly so. She couldn't remember anything about the figure, except that it was female. It was no use to interrogate every woman in the area, right? Let alone, nearly impossible.

Ronin thought back hard on everyone who worked for Validar, but once again it didn't ring any bells in his mind. Not even the quiet, almost broken bells. That voice was just barely out of place with the others he had heard up to today.

That is, until he heard it once again, right next to him.

"Excuse me."

"You!" Ronin shouted RATHER LOUDLY, (Turning a few heads) pointing at the figure who had just appeared in front of him. It was a form of sorcery, JUST like the mage who had killed Chrom-

The figure turned, revealing herself as a crimson-eyed individual, with a hair color a lot like Ronin's. She didn't seem to be shocked or surprised at his accusatory action. in fact, she seemed rather annoyed."...Yeah?"

"There's something… Familiar about you." The mage muttered. "I just can't quite place it…"

"Uh… Okay. _Good for you._" There was a moment when the voice of the stranger changed to something with a dark disposition, but Ronin was too absorbed in the sound to miss it. It sounds odd, but one can focus on an aspect so hard that they can forget all other details. "If that's all, then I suppose I should be… getting as far away from you as possible, Sir Accusatory."

Sumire then walked over and gave the stranger an apologetic look. "Please forgive my imbecile brother. Somedays he has no idea what he's doing…" The stranger's face softened on seeing the sister of the two speak so kindly to her. It had been a long time since she heard a voice like that.. "I... I mean, if you don't mind me asking, why did you call out to us?"

It wasn't like either of the siblings had anyone to talk to. After all, The Shepherds had disappeared from them, as had all their other friends. What motive did this stranger have to approach them? If there was any at all. The two of them had become so suspicious since that day. So much more so than back in the good old days where they both remembered nothing of their pasts.  
"Hm, that's a good question." The stranger put a hand to her head as if she was thinking about something deep and thoughtful, but she was probably not. "Oh, I remember now! I wanted to ask you something...something like…. if you would like to help me kill Validar."

Well, that was blunt. Though it caught both of their attentions.

At first there was the usual suspicion. Why did this person want to kill Validar in the first place? Both Ronin and Sumire's reasoning was quite simple to figure out. But this strangers? What could she possibly hope to gain from such a thing?

Yet she wasn't moving. No prank, no punchline was formed in the seconds she stared at the both of them. This woman seemed to be dead serious in her inquiry, This led to her lips being encased in a sort of frown reserved for scolding a child.

"Did I stutter?"

"Er… No… but why?"

"Because I'm bored." She stated simply, as if killing a guy was a natural way to relieve one's boredom. The only caused more confusion from the siblings.

"Let me get this straight." Sumire began. "You want us to help you kill Validar?"

"Yes, I do believe we covered that." The woman replied with a smirk.

"And it's because you're bored?" Ronin questioned.

"Does there need to be any other reason?"

"Well… No, but that sounds rightfully insane."

"Thank you."

And then there was the desperation. "So you're really going off to kill him?" Sumire asked with...almost a grin on her face. "By… yourself?"

The woman seemed to be getting tired of these games, for the put her hand back up to her face and released a long sigh. Her eyes fluttered close for a miniscule moment. "Okay. Yes. I am off to kill that damned Sorcerer. I'm asking you and some others around the country to help me. Yes. Now, are you coming or not?"

The the mage and tactician gave each other a quick glance, as if asking one another a silent question. Then they looked back at the strange woman that they were talking to, and Ronin spoke up in a voice of deadly seriousness. "We would be honored to join you."

"Join you….. uh, Miss…?" Sumire spoke up, gesturing her hand in a circular motion for her to continue. And the woman, she smirked.

"My name is Nabbu. It's a pleasure."


End file.
